modern philosophy, Deception, Politics, Cardano, Naudé
Abstract
The article examines the theme of deceit – a main subject in Machiavelli’s thought – in some post-Machiavelian thinkers like Girolamo Cardano and Gabriel Naudé, that use deceit in a new political and “prudential” perspective. In his De sapientia (1544) and Proxeneta (1570 ca.) Cardano considers dissimulation and deceit as the basis of practical conduct. In his Considérations politiques (1639) the French free thinker Gabriel Naudé examines the theme of strength and of deception in Politics,and uses Machiavelli’s and Cardano’s thought for a new consideration of the relationship between religion and politics.
